Install Android 6.0 Marshmallow CM 13 ROM on Moto X 2014

After the tremendous success of Moto X first Generation (2013) smartphone, Motorola launched its successor Moto X 2014 2nd Generation smartphone one year later. This smartphone is bigger and much better than its predecessor. It was launched with Android 4.4 KitKat OS with some mouth watering features like Quad-core 2.5 GHz Snapdragon 801 processor, 5.2-inch 1080p Super AMOLED display with 1080 x 1920 pixels resolution, 16/32 internal storage memory, a front-facing speaker, new 13 megapixel camera with an f/2.25 lens, autofocus and dual-LED flash, 2 megapixel with 1080p recording, 2GB of RAM, Corning Gorilla Glass 3 and much more.

Due to such amazing specs and features, this smartphone was the most talked about the time is was launched. After Android 5.0 Lollipop OS was released, Motorola immediately rolled out this latest official update for Moto X 2014. Then came the Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Motorola took much time but recently they officially launched this latest update for Motorola Moto X 2nd Generation 2014 model.

If your Moto X 2014 has still not received this update than don’t worry as in this article we’ll discuss some easy but detailed steps on how to install Android 6.0 Marshmallow based Cyanogenmod 13 custom ROM on Moto X 2014 smartphone. This way you can not only experience the latest Android M OS but also get to enjoy the Cyanogenmod features on your Motorola phone. This ROM is completely stable, fast and can enhance your phones battery as well. If you are eager to flash this unofficial firmware on your Moto X 2014, then head on to our actual guide given below.

Disclaimer:

Try this at your own risk. If any damage happens to your Moto X 2014 then nether do I nor the CM developers will be held liable for that. If you have no idea about this stuff then I strongly recommend you to stop right at this point. Any simple mistake can severely damage your phone. Although there are least chances that your phone will get damaged still I recommend to read, follow and implement every step correctly without any mistake.

Compatibility:

This Android 6.0 Marshmallow based Cyanogenmod 13 custom ROM is compatible only with Moto X 2nd Generation (2014). Do not flash this on any other device as it may cause permanent damage or even brick your phone. So its better to confirm the device first and then proceed.

Pre-Requisites:

Charge your Moto X at least upto 60% as lack of battery can increase the chances of interruption during the flashing process.

Backup all the data present on your phone including your contacts, messages, call logs, memos, whatsapp messages, installed apps etc. You can copy them on your external SD card or for more safety on PC. This is highly recommended as everything needs to be wiped in the last step of this procedure.

Make sure that you’ve enabled the USB debugging mode on your phone. If not, then do so by following the path Menu->Settings->Developer options ->USB debugging. If you can’t see Developer option then go to Settings->About Phone and tap 7 times on the Build number. This will make the Developer option appear in the Settings menu.

Make sure that Motorola mobile specific USB drivers are installed on your PC. You can manually install the drivers from the link given below:

Make sure that your is Moto X 2014 is rooted. Also a custom recovery like Clockworkmod (CWM) or TWRP must be installed before flashing the ROM. Refer our guide to root and install TWRP recovery on Moto X 2014.

Procedure to install Android 6.0 Marshmallow on Moto X 2014:

Step 1: Download both the package files on your computer. Do not extract these zip files.

Step 2: Then connect your Moto X to PC using original USB data cable and transfer both the files on your phones internal memory.

Step 3: Then safely disconnect your phone from PC. Switch it off completely until it vibrates. Now you need to boot into bootloader mode. For that press and hold Volume down key + Power button simultaneously until you land into bootloader mode.

Step 4: Now using Volume up and down keys you can perform various operations like restart bootloader, enter recovery mode, start bootloader mode etc. Now using Volume keys open Recovery mode option and select it using Power button.

Step 5: As soon as you hit the power button your phone will boot into TWRP recovery mode.

As you enter the recovery mode, the first thing you need to do is take a complete nandroid backup. Refer our detailed article for taking complete Nandroid backup / restore:

Step 13: After completing everything as mentioned above, restart the phone by selecting the Reboot option present on the recovery mode itself.

Note: This first boot will take more time to start than usual. But after a couple of reboots it’ll be normal.

Success

Finally! Your Motorola Moto X 2014 2nd Generation smartphone has been successfully updated to the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS based unofficial Cyanogenmod 13 custom ROM. The same can be verified from Menu->Settings->About Phone. Enjoy and experience the all new Android 6.0 Marshmallow features along with Cyanogenmod features with this ROM. That means you are getting a combo pack of features. Don’t forget to share your views after using it. Lastly if you come across any difficulty regarding the process mentioned above, then do let me know through the comment section given below. I’ll be glad to help you out. Till then Enjoy! 🙂